Memory core assembly



July 27 1965 R. o. sToEHR ETAL. 3,197,746

MEMORY CORE ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 24. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGA FIG. 2

FIG. 5

FIG' 6 INVENTORS Rudolph 0. Stoehr /dohn Liston Atty.v

July 27 1965 R. o. STOEHR ETAI. 3,197,746

MEMORY CORE ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 24, 1960 2 sneetsheet 2 FIG. IA FIG. 7B SENSE SENSE /V A/ N A/ INVENTOR. Rudolph O. Stoehr BY John W. iston u AHy.

United States Patent() 3,197,746 MER/iRY CGRE ASSEMBLY Rudolph 0. Stoehr, Des Plaines, and .lohn W. Listen, l'riount Prospect, Ill., assiguors to Automatic Electric Laboratories, Inc., Northlaiie, lll., a corporation of Delaware Filed Ang. 24, 1964i, Ser. No. 51,688

Claims. (Cl. 340-174) This invention relates to memorydevices and, more particularly, to memory core devices employing wiring for the threading of the cores.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a memory core device which can be easily produced and at minimum cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel technique of threading the magnetic cores with a printed electrical conductor. Y

Another object of the invention is to provide a memory core device which doesI not require an external support to secure the cores to the insulating sheets, on which the printed wiring is formed, and vice versa.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement for a magnetic memory core device which lends itself to be made into miniature size.

The invention in general features a plurality of sheets made of insulating material with printed electrical yconductors disposed thereon. These sheets are formed with appropriate cutouts so that theyV may be placed over a prepositioned array of cores, at right angles to the planes of the cores. A lip in each cutout is inserted through apertures of the uprightly positioned cores by simple lateral translation motion of the sheets. The printed conductors extend to the edge of the lip and to the edge of the cutout, thereby leaving a gap between the two edges at each cutout. The gap thusly formed is bridged by a suitably posi- I tioned printed conductor on the next adjacent sheet. These adjacent conductors, in combination, form continuous electrical paths through an array of ring cores. These paths may constitute the vertical winding, the horizontal winding, the sense winding, the inhibit winding or any other desired winding of the memory device.

Other objects and features of my invention will become more apparent from a perusal of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIGURE l is a schematic view showing the electrical winding arrangement for the memory core device.

FIGURE 2 is a plan View showing a magnetic ring core assembled to a sheet by means of a lip which extends at a cutout. Y

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a sheet having printed conductors disposed thereon and extending lips formed at a plurality of cutouts.

FIGURE 4 is an exploded cross sectional view of the featured assembly including the core support and the posts used to press the sheets together.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a sheet adapted to accommodate two mutually perpendicular groups of cores. This sheet has in addition to the printed conductors and cutouts with extending lips a set of rectangular cutouts.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view showing the sheets before they are moved transversely with respect to each other, that is, before the lips thereof are inserted into the cores.

FIGURE 7 is a plan View of the conductor patterns which comprise the electrical winding arrangement of the I memory core device.

Referring now to FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the sheets 10 which are made of an appropriate insulating material are cut or blanked out to a desired size determined by theparticular application of the memory core device Patented July 27, 1965 ICC itself. These sheets 10 serve as the support for the printed conductors 11 and the support for the magnetic ring cores 12.

Referring t0 FIGURE 3 and FIGURE 4, the conductors 11 are printed on the sheets by means of etching or other means that are commonly employed in the art of printedcircuitry. When disposed on the surface of the sheets 10 the conductors 11 conform to a particular pattern as shown in FIGURE 7. The conductors are, at least partially, solder coated to facilitate the soldering operation described below. More specifically, pattern 7A of sheet 10A shows printed conductors 11 which when laid on pattern 7B of sheet 10 form the sense winding 14 of the memory device. When patterns 7C and 7D rof sheets 10B and 10C respectively are laid adjacent to each other they form the vertical winding 15. And when pattern 7E of sheet 10C is laid adjacent to pattern 7F of sheet 143D the two form the horizontal winding 16 for the memory core. From the foregoing it can be seen that the conductors 11 disposed on one sheet are interrupted or gaped at the cutouts 20 and therefore vdo not form a continuous conducting path. Only after an adjacent sheet is laid down which bridges the gaps is the continuous path completed.l Thus, the conductors 11 conforming to patterns 7B, 7D and 7F are bridged by the conductors 11 which conform'to patterns 7A, 7C and 7E, respectively. Furthermore, the bridging of the gaps occurs on the outside of the vcoresv because in the fully assembled condition of the device as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lips 13 extend completely through the core permitting the ends of the conductor 11 to overlap the edge 13A of the lip'13 and the edge 21 of the cutout 20 on the outside of the core. This arrangement results in a reliable connection between the adjacent conductors because posts 24 which, as explained more fully hereafter are used as pressure applying means in the fabrication of the device, act directly over the overlaps and thus exert a maximum amount of pressure over this area.

The cutouts 20 of each sheet are disposed so that they correspond with the arrangement of the cores. They are substantially square with a lip 13 extending from one edge thereof. Lip 13 is Vthe means used to hold the cores 12 in position and also to support the insulating sheets and carry the conductors 11 through the cores. This is accomplished after the sheets 10A, 1GB, 10C and 10D with their cutouts aligned with the cores, have been placed over an array of cores 12 and then moved transversely with respect therewith at which time the lip extend through the cores. The cores 12 are locked into position within the sheets 10 after this transverse movement by virtue of the lips 13 of one sheet extending through the cores from one direction Vand the lips of a sheet lying adjacent therewith extending through the cores from the opposite direction.

Although FIG. 3 is the preferred embodiment of the invention an alternative method may be as shown in FIG- URE 5. Herein, the sheets 10 have in addition to the cutouts 20, rectangular cutout 22. These cutouts 22 permit a first group of cores to be arranged at an angle with a second groupV of cores. However, only one group of cores are threaded by a corresponding group of sheets at a time. The sheets for each group of cores have nevertheless the appropriate cutous 22 for the cores ofthe other group so that the sheets can lie flat and adjacent to each other regardless of whether they are used to carry a conductor through the particular group of cores or not. Accordingly the length of the cutout 22 is such as to allow for the necessary transverse movement of the sheets to move the lips 13 through the apertures of the other group of cores.

Prior to being assembled the cores 12 are set into an 10 at the end of the assembly operation are subjected to heat and pressure. After the sheets have been finally positioned in the cores the assembly is self-supporting and requires no further mechanical support, for the cores 12 keep the entire assembly together.

Referring to FIGURE 6 which shows two adjacent sheets 10 before' they have been moved relatively to each other the sheet 10 are placed over the cores 12, which set in the aforementioned depressions. Subsequently' the sheets are moved towards each other in a transverse direction with respect to the cores until the lips of each sheet extend through the aperture of the' cores 12 and the conductors 11 are properly positioned 'over each other as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4'.

After the sheets 10, 10B, 10C and 10D are in position with respect to the cores 12 the assembly is simultaneously subjected to high frequency dielectric heating and pressure by means of the posts 24 which are' actuated' by some external means, for example a' press', and may have' radio frequency windings, not shown, embedded therein. The posts 24 are positioned alongside the upright cores 12 and with the aid of the jig 23 squeeze the outer sheets 10A and 10D together until all the adjacent conductors are soldered together, thusv forming continuous electrical paths through thev cores.

This invention has been described in detail, however, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes' in the detail and structure may be made without departing from the scope of my invention as hereinafter claimed'.

What is claimed is:

1. An arrangement for a magnetic memory device having a plurality of magnetic ring cores;

insulating cards having substantially uniformly flat top and bottom surfaces and positioned in planes parallel and `adjacent to each other, said cores being disposed perpendicularly to the planes of said cards and at least one of s'aid cards having portions extending in the corresponding planes through said cores to support the' cores;

and printed conductor segments disposed on said insulating cards, including said portions thereof, such that conductor segments on one of said insulating cards contact conductor segments on an adjacent sheet to form continuous electrical paths through and between said cores.

2. A magnetic memory device having a plurality of magnetic ring cores;

insulating cards having substantially uniformly at top andbottom surfaces and spaced apertures with a peripheral edge, said cards being positioned in planes parallel and adjacent to `each other, at least one of said cards having lips projecting from one of said peripheral edges and lying in the plane of said flat surfaces, said lips extending through and supporting said cores perpendicular to said insulating cards within said apertures, and

array of circular depressions 25 formed in a jig or base 23.` The depressions 25 support the cores 12 in an upright position and remain supported until after the sheets an array of solder-coated printed conductor segments disposed on said surfaces of said cards and extending over said lips, said conductor segments on said top surface of one of said cards being contacted by corresponding conductor segments on said being surface of an adjacent card to form continuous electrical conducting pathsr between and through said ring cores upon fusing the solder coating.

3. A magnetic memory device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the lips of adjacent ones of said cards extend through said ring cores from opposite directions to restrict 15 the movement of said ring cores within said apertures.

4. A magnetic memory device having a plurality of magnetic ring cores;

insulating cards having substantially uniformly fiat top and bottom surfaces and spaced apertures with peripheral edges receiving said cores, said cards being positioned in planes parallel and adjacent to each other,

certain ones of said cards having lips projecting from one edge of said apertures and extending through said cores to support said cores within said apertures perpendicular to said insulating cards;

a irst array of solder-coated printed conductor segments disposed on said top surface of at least said one card and extending over said lips andv between said apertures thereof thereby leaving a gap at each of said apertures defined by said lip and as opposite peripheral edge of said cutout, and a second array of solder-coated conductor segments disposed and arranged on a bottom surface of an adjacent card to bridge said gaps and form a continuous electrical conducting path between and through said ring cores upon fusing the solder coating.

5. A magnetic memory device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said ring cores are arranged into a rst group and a second group, and wherein said apertures are arranged in a corresponding rst and secondrgroup, said first group of said ring cores being perpendicular to said second group, and said ring cores of said first group being supported by lips of certain cards and said ring cores of said second group being supported by lips of certain others of sad cards. v

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS IRVING L. SRAGOW, Primary Examiner.

BERNARD KONICK, Examiner. 

1. AN ARRANGEMENT FOR A MAGNETIC MEMORY DEVICE HAVING A PLURALITY OF MAGNETIC RING CORES; INSULATING CARDS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY FLAT TOP AND BOTTOM SURFACES AND POSITIONED IN PLANES PARALLEL AND ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER, SAID CORES BEING DISPOSED PERPENDICULARLY TO THE PLANES OF SAID CARDS AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CARDS HAVING PORTIONS EXTENDING IN THE CORRESPONDING PLANES THROUGH SAID CORES TO SUPPORT THE CORES; AND PRINTED CONDUCTOR SEGMENTS DISPOSED ON SAID IN-SULATING CARDS, INCLUDING SAID PORTIONS THEREOF, SUCH THAT CONDUCTOR SEGMENTS ON ONE OF SAID INSULATING CARDS CONTACT CONDUCTOR SEGMENTS ON A ADJACENT SHEET TO FORM CONTINUOUS ELECTRICAL PATHS THROUGH AND BETWEEN SAID CORES. 